Railway car end construction



Feb. 24, 1942. lH. D. BREEN ETAL RAILWAY CAR END cQNsTRUcTIoN Filed Feb; l2, 1940 JWM/m55 z/ Mayu Patented Feb. 24, 1942` rtree RAILWAY CAR ENDl CONSTRUCTION Henry Breen and Arthur F. OConnor, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Union Asbestos & Rubber Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application AFebruary 12, 1940, Serial No. 318,432

6 Claims.

Our invention relates to car body construction and has particular reference to the `construction of the ends of `the car from metallic sheets, and more particularly to the type of pressed metallic car end which has horizontally extending corrugations and which has been used extensively in freight car construction for many years. It is the object of `the invention to provide economical means for strengthening such corrugatedmetal car ends without addingfappreciably to the'present overall thickness or" the ends.

The conventional metal car end comprises a metal 'sheet or she-ets extending trom corner postv to corner post of the car, with horizontally extending 'corrugations iormed'in the sheets, said corrugations being pressed in the sheets while they are at a red heat. The thickness of the metal in the corrugated portion of the 'sheet is necessarily 'thinner than the plane portion of the sheetand the depth of the corrugations is therefore limited to a depth consistent with apredetermined thickness of the metal in the corrugations, based upon the required-strength of corrugations having a given thickness of metal.

Aside from the consideration of strength it `is of great importance that the Aoverall thickness of the corrugated car end be held 'to a minimum in the interest of economy of space.

It is well known that the` end walls of railway cars are subjected to 'horizontal forces of considerable magnitude due to thrusts and pres-v suresapplied thereto during kshitting of car lading in a direction 'longitudinally of the car, caused by buiiing and draft shocks received by thev car in switching operations and in the general starting and stopping of the cars intrain movements. When these thrusts are localized upony the car end adjacent the vertical center thereof it frequently results in the pushing out of the car end and resulting in permanent distortion thereof.

A'Wooden endliningis usually mounted upon the inner surface of the metal car end to form the inside wall of the car. For many types of lading it is important `that this wooden end lining be tight where the lining boards join each other, in order to form a modified form of insulation between the metal car end and the lading. When the cars are used to transport grains or other bulk material any breaks or openings in the wooden lining will result in loss of the lading through the lining. Where cartons or cans of material are loaded in the earthey must beprevented from contacting the metal car end y due to the condensation of 'moisture upon the metal end or the cartons will disintegrate and the cans will rust, causing lowered market value of the commodities or total loss thereof.

Where refrigerator cars areprovided with the conventional corrugated metal ends the bulkhead (separating the lading compartment from the ice compartment) in many cases is provided with thrust members which depend upon `the metal car end to keep the bulkhead in position. As the bulkhead is subject to 'the same horizontal forces as the car end in a box car any distortion or resiliency in the metal end results in movement of the bulkhead, longitudinally of the car, and places stress and strain upon supports and bulkhead anchoring members which are not intended to resist such forces, resulting in damage to metal floor pans, metal floors and other parts of 'the car interior which must be watertight to prevent ice meltage from entering the insulated car walls and floors. Refrigerator car walls and floors invariably have relatively expensive hair or-ber insulation between the inner and outer wall lin-ings which lose their `insulating value if they become wet. `Ii the insulation becomes wet it also results in deterioration of same and adds considerable dead weight to the car.

When a corrugated metal car end has been pushed outwardly to a point where ithas taken aA set in the distorted position it is necessary to take the car out of service, place it in a car repair shop vor repair yard and force the distorted portion back into place. rThis results in a weakened end wall, :loss of revenue while the car is out of service, expensive repairs in tearing out the damaged lining, insulation, etc., and the replacement of same.

An object of the present invention isto provide means whereby the conventional corrugated metal ends may be strengthened without adding materially to the overall thickness of same.

Another object is to provide strengthening means which may be inexpensively and readily applied ltoexisting car ends to make them serviceable, thereby sah/aging car ends which might otherwise have to be scrapped and replaced.

Another object is the provision of strengthening means for corrugated metal car ends which will substantially reduce the span of the corrugations vby one half, thereby reducing the possibility of the ends bulging out.

A further object is to provide reinforcing means for metal car ends which will add a minimum amount of additional weight to the ends.

Another object is to provide strengthening4 means to the conventional metal car ends by tying the corrugations together, adjacent the vertical center of the car ends, thereby minimizing the possibility of the corrugations bulging as the spacing between corrugations must change before such bulging will occur.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a fragmentary end elevation of the end of a car with the reinforcing means shown applied to the car end.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional View taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional View of the reinforcing means shown in Fig, 1, taken along line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing a modication of the reinforcing means.

Ii'g. 5 is a fragmentary elevation of the outer reinforcing member of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5a is a fragmentary side elevation of the outer reinforcing member shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of one of the reinforcing segments shownv in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6a is a plan view of the segment shown in Fig. 6.

Fig, 6b is an end elevational View of the segment shown in Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawing, the reference numeral I3 indicates the roof of the car, I5 the end sill, and II the car end of corrugated sheet metal. The car end may be secured to the roof I3 and to the end sill l5 by means of rivets I9 and 2|, respectively. The car end I'I may comprise a plurality of metal sheets spliced together in the usual way. The car end I'I may be provided with vertical marginal flanges 23 extending around the corner of the car and amxed to the conventional corner post or to the side wall sheathing in the usual manner.

The reinforcing member 25, as shown best in Fig. 1, may comprise a channel-like member having longitudinal marginal flanges 2l and end flanges 29 and 3|.

Flanges 29 and 3l maybe secured to the adjacent flanges 21-21 by welding, as indicated at 33, to form a box-like upper and lower end portion on the member 25. The flanges 21-21, intermediate the end portions of member 25, may be provided with a series of inwardly extending arcuate portions 35 and alternate outwardly extending arcuate portions 31, the arcuate portions 35 being spaced coincident with the spacing of the outwardly extending corrugations on the car end II, thearcuate portions 3l tting into and substantially registering with the valley portions of the same corrugations.

The reinforcing member 25 may be mounted upon the car end I'I with its portions 35 and 3T in abutting engage-ment with the outwardly extending corrugations and the intermediate Valleys of said corrugations, respectively, and may be affixed to the car end by welding. A reinforcing member 39 may be affixed to the opposite side of the car end I'I, in order to complement the member 25 and form a vertically extending box-like reinforcement intersected by the corrugated metal end wall. Member 39 may comprise a plate-like member 4I having scalloped flanges 43 along its opposed longitudinal margins adapted to flt into the valleys of the corrugations and to register substantially with the outwardly extending corrugations (viewing the car end I'I from the interior of the car). The reinforcing members 25 and 39 may be afi'ixed to the car end as by welding which may be a continuous weld along the margins of flanges 2'I and 43 or may be tack welded (spaced apart welds). It will be seen that the box-like reinforcing means provides great strength to resist bulging of the car ends and adds a negligible amount to the original thickness of the car end.

The modified reinforcing means shown in Fig. 4 may comprise a vertically aligned series of VYplate members 41, provided along their vertical margins with arcuate flanges 49 adapted to fit into and register with the contour of the valley portions of the corrugations in the car end I'I. The planes of the flanges 49 may extend vertically of the car and perpendicular to the plane of the car end Il. When the members 4'I are used on both sides of the corrugated car end they will ,be in staggered relationship with each other (the members on the inside being staggered with respect to the members on the outside), and the flanges 49 of the inner members are preferably coplanar with the flanges 49 of the outer members. A channel shaped member 5I may be provided intermediate the bottom corrugation and the lower margin of the car end II, and may be provided with opposed marginal flanges 53 adapted to abut the adjacent portion of the bottomorrugation and the adjacent plane portion of the car end II, the spaced apart flanges 53 being in coplanar alignment with the spaced apart anges 49 of member 41. The lower end of member 5I may be providedY with a flange 55 intermediate and parallel with the lower ends of flanges 53 and may .be welded to form a box-like closed end portion on me-mber 5I. The outer surfaces of the members 4T may be in a plane with one or more of the vertical boundaries of the car end I'I. A plate-like member 51 may be provided adjacent the top corrugation and may extend from a point near the apices of said corrugation to a point adjacent the upper margin of the car end II, in oblique relation to the plane of the car end I'I. Member 51 may be provided with spaced apart vertical flanges 59 having a peripheral contour adapted to register with the contour of the corrugation and the adjacent plane portion of the car end I'I, flanges 59 being coplanar with the flanges 49 of the aligned members 47. A channel-shaped member 6I may be provided intermediate the valley portion of the top corrugation and the adjacent upper margin of the'car end I'I and may be provided with spaced apart marginal flanges 63 in alignment with anges 49 and 59.

Having thus described our invention. what we claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent, is:

1. An end wall for a railwav car comprising a plate provided with a plurality of corrugations. reinforcing means for said wall comprising a plurality of spaced apart plate members in the valley of one of said corrugatons. a plurality of spaced apart plate members in the valley next adjacent on the opposite side of said wall. the spaced apart plate members on one side of said wall being in planar alignment with the spaced apart members on the opposite side of said wall` a plate member connecting the spaced apart members in one of the valleys adjacent their outer margins, said spaced apart members extending transversely of said corrugations with their nlanes perpendicular to the plane of said Wall, the margins of said spaced apart members adjacent said Wall being in abutting engagement with and welded to the walls of said corrugations.

2. An end wall for a railway car comprising a sheet metal plate provided with a plurality of corrugations, means for reinforcing said wall comprising a plurality of spaced apart plate members in the valley of one of said corrugations,

la plurality of spaced apart plate mem-bers in the valley next adjacent on the opposite side of said Wall, the spaced apart plate members on one side of said wall being in planar alignment with the spaced apart members on the opposite side of said wall, a plate member connecting the spaced apart members in one of the valleys adjacent their outer margins, said spaced apart members extending transversely of said corrugations with their planes perpendicular to the plane of said wall, the margins of said spaced apart members adjacent said wall being in abutting welded en gagement with the walls of said corrugation.

3. An end wall for a railway car comprising a the Wall'and the other bisection on the opposite L side of the wall, the margins of each bisection adjacent the wall being adapted to substantially dam' thevalleys of the corrugations and being welded to said wall and said oorrugations.

4. An end wall for a railway car comprising a plate provided with a plurality of corrugations, reinforcing means for said Wall comprising a box-like elongated member having spaced apart portions extending transversely of said corrugations in a plane parallel to the plane of said wall and spaced apart portions extending perl pendicular to the plane of said wall, one of said iirst named portions being in adjacent overlying relationship with the apices of the corrugations on the outside of the Wall, the other of said first named portions being in adjacent overlying relationship with the apices of the corrugations on the inside of said wall, the said portions which extend perpendicular to the `plane of said Wall being bisected intermediate their longitudinal margins by said corrugations, the margins of said last named portions adjacent the end wall having edgewise engagement with and being Welded to said end wall, the last named portions on the outside of said Wall being in planar alignment with the last named portions on the inside of said Wall.

5. An end Wall for a railway car comprising a plate'provided with a plurality of corrugations,

reinforcing means for said wall comprising a box-like elongated member comprising a plurality of segments disposed in planar alignment transversely of said corrugations on both sides of said wall, a plurality of said segments on one side of said wall being in staggered relationship with the adjacent segments on the other side of said wall, said segments comprising plate members in parallel relationship with the plane of said wall with their outer surfaces substantially coplanar withthe outer surfaces of the apices of the corrugations, said plate members being provided with spaced apart flanges adapted to fit into and substantially dam the valleys of the corrugations, said spaced apart flanges extending in a plane perpendicular to the plane of said wall and having edgewise Welded engagement with said Wall, the spaced apart flanges on one side of said Wall being in planar alignment with the spaced apart flanges on the other side of said Wall.y

6. A sheet metal end wall for a railway car, said wall having a plurality of substantially parallel elongated corrugations formed therein, reinforcing means for said wall comprising metallic channel-shaped members, one of said members being on the outside of said wall and one of said members being on the inside of said wall, the member on the outside of said Wall having spaced apart portions extending into and substantially damming the valley of one of said corrugations, the member on the inside of said Wall having spaced apart portions extending into- `ment respectively.

HENRY D. BREEN. ARTHUR F. OCONNOR. 

